


Snapshots

by Boat_dock



Category: Her Royal Highness - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Slight Cannon divergence, Social Media, but barely, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:53:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boat_dock/pseuds/Boat_dock
Summary: a collection of oneshots of moments between Millie and Flora throughout their lives. It starts before they are together and continues past the end of the book.
Relationships: Flora Baird/Millie Quint, Flora/Millie
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	1. Her Traitorous Heart

Millie laid on her stomach in her bed, with her laptop open staring at a blank screen where her essay was supposed to be. She’s been sitting there for half an hour trying to do her homework and not getting anywhere. Flora was in the room with her, not helping her distraction levels. Instead of trying to do work, Flora was rolling around the room in a rolling chair, the scraping of the wheels against the floor and her swishing blonde ponytail constantly pulling at Millie’s focus. It was a strangely childlike activity for a princess to be doing and brought a smile to her face.

“Can you please be a little quieter?” Millie groaned, causing Flora’s head to snap towards her, “I’m trying to work.”

Now the chair was being rolled toward her bed so Flora could rest her chin on the edge, so that she was only inches away from Millie. “But I’m bored Quint,” she whined, a strand of hair falling in front of her eyes. 

Millie rolled her eyes at that,” You could try doing some homework,” she offered, trying to nudge her away. Flora huffed at her and scrunched her nose. She was not deterred, however, she seemed even more determined to get attention. 

“Quiiiint,” she dragged out, poking her lightly on her arm. Millie ignored her and tried to bring her attention back to her essay, letting her fingers run quickly over the keys even though no useful words came out of it. “Millie,” she whispered and a shiver ran up her spine. She was so used to being called Quint that hearing Flora say her name caused her mind to go blank and her breath to hitch. Millie looked at her and blinked back to reality. 

“Yeah Flo?” she asked. The nickname she had heard Seb call her so many times slipped out without her evening thinking about it. 

Flora’s face lit up, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the nickname or just from her attention in general. “I would like attention please.” 

It would have been so easy to drop everything and hang out with Flora, in fact she’d been doing that more and more these days and that was doing nothing but fan the flames of her pesky little crush. It was easy to follow Flora, she was powerful and confident in a way that only a princess could pull off. It was dangerous, because Millie found that her feelings were not nearly as aware that a relationship with Flora would only end in heartbreak as her brain was. “I can’t, “ she pushed back,” I have to write this paper.” 

The look Flora gave her could only be described as a puppy dog look and Millie’s resolve almost broke. They sat in silence as she tried to keep working, but Flora stayed next to her, watching with her large golden eyes. “Can I have your phone?” she asked. Normally Millie might have questioned this but she was desperate to actually make progress on this paper so she handed it over no questions asked. 

With a grin she rolled away from the bed to mess with Millie’s phone. A strange weight was lifted off of her shoulders and she could breathe again. Being that close to her old roommate, now friend, shouldn’t be this hard. The princess was now taking various selfies and saving them to Millie’s phone. “Couldn’t you do that on your phone?” 

“Perhaps, but I couldn’t use the fun snapchat filters,” she answered, shooting her a sly grin and snapping another photo. She forgets that Flora isn’t allowed to have social media by her family. 

“Go crazy then,” she says, leaving her to enjoy her selfies.

Flora flashed her a dazzling smile and left her to try and do her homework. Even with the new found quiet she still found it hard to concentrate, her mind wandered and all her thoughts seemed to find their way back to her ex-roommate. Somewhere along the way, her fingers stopped typing and her eyes glazed over. She’s snapped out of it when Flora’s voice disrupts the silence, except this time it wasn’t aimed at her. 

When she looked she found Flora talking to her phone, “Hi Americans,” she sang, waving at the camera. It was then that Millie noticed the blinking red button on the bottom of the screen that showed it was recording,” I’m..”

“What are you doing?” Millie cut in, scrunching her eyebrows. She shifted her weight so she was fully facing Flora and the camera. 

Flora turned toward her and spoke, while sliding the chair back closer to the bed,” I’m talking to the Americans and I’m going to post it to your story,” she said blatantly. She almost snorted but stopped herself, she had at most 20 friends on snapchat, four close friends, her aunt Vi and the rest were random kids she used to go to high school with but never really spoke to. 

She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands making eye contact with the camera,” and how many people do you think are going to see that?” she asked. 

“Don’t really care,” she commented,” I’m just bored, love.” she now turned back to the camera,” Amelia here, is very busy writing her essay and I have nothing to do.” Millie huffed and gave a small eye roll. 

“You could go do your homework ya know,” she was deliberately ignored. 

The door to her room flew open as Sakshi and Perry came in carrying snacks and coffee laughing with each other. Flora flipped the phone camera with ease, so that their friends were now in the shot, “ Say hello to the Americans,” she announced, startling them. 

Saks regained her composer quickly and answered,” Hullo Americans,” she grinned, waves of super model charm flowing from her. 

“Hi,” Perry murmured,” we come bearing snacks.” 

Millie’s stomach growled loudly at the mere mention of snacks. The camera switched back to her and Flora and the filter snapped back into place, giving their skin a ethereal glow that made her kind of uneasy. Not that Flora needed any filter to be beautiful, she always seemed to glow all on her own. 

“Time to go,” she said waving,” Anything to say before we leave Quint?” 

She thought for a second before smirking and answering,” Send help,” she deadpanned, letting her eyes slide to Flora to see how she reacted. 

“Oi!” she exclaimed, in what Millie assumed was mock outrage. 

“Kidding,” she grinned,” Bye y’all,” she quickly grabbed the phone, effectively ending the video. Accepting a muffin and coffee from Perry, she tried to forget the video, knowing that Flora definitely was not going to. 

“Are we going to ignore the fact that Millie just said y’all,” Saks’ asked through a mouthful of muffin, in a surprisingly unlady-like manner for her. 

“...I’ve probably said it before,” Millie answered as Saks sat on her bed on the opposite side of the room. Flora abandoned her chair to join Millie on her bed so that Perry could have it. She sipped her coffee and scrunched her nose, in an annoyingly cute way, before setting it to the side. “I’m from the American south, it’s part of my vernacular.” 

“I like it, “ Flora replied, “ it’s got a cute twang to it.” 

Millie’s cheeks burned against her will and she ducked her head, avoiding eye contact with everyone. She had gotten used to hearing the Scottish accent around her now, but sometimes it still shocking. It was strange to think that they might think the same things when they heard her talk. She didn’t have a good way to respond to this, so instead she just kept her head down, ignoring the weight of Flora’s eyes on her and the knowing look Sakshi was giving them. 

Her paper now forgotten, Millie closed her laptop and moved to put it on the desk simply so that she would have something to do with her hands. There was officially too much attention on her and she did not know what to do with herself. She was used to being in the background, not the center of attention and right now there was no doubt that all eyes were on her. 

Her phone dinged next to her annoyingly quickly indicating that someone had messaged her. She sighed knowing that it was about the video Flora had posted of all of them. The princess eyed the phone but before she could make a move to grab it Millie snatched it and clicked it on. 

She had a list of people from her old high school that she did not want to talk to and while the person she caught Jude cheating on her with was not on the top of said list he was definitely on it. Mason’s name sat heavily on her screen and she almost didn’t open it, but her curiosity got the better of her. 

She tried to make her fingers move but they sat stubborn and still. This was ridiculous, Mason didn’t know anything about her and Jude, there was no reason for things to be weird between them. Taking a deep breath, she clicked the message. 

**Damn Millie who’s your friend?**

A distressed sound escaped from her throat, it started off as a yelp then turned into a groan. On instinct she threw her phone onto the bed face down trying to erase the words from her mind 

No. This was not happening. Not again. 

No. No. No. 

“What’s wrong with you Quint?” Flora asked, picking up the phone. Millie could see her eyes scanning the message. An all too familiar smirk formed on her lips and Millie could barely keep herself from staring, “Oh,” she says and an emotion that Millie couldn’t place flashed across her face, but disappeared as quickly as it had come,” Some American lad thinks I’m attractive. I don’t think that requires that level of a reaction.” she teased, her smirk returning causing Millie’s cheeks to heat up. 

By this point Saks and Perry were peering over Flora’s shoulder to read the message too. “It’s not the message as much as the person that sent it,” she backtracked. 

“Who is he?” Perry asked. 

She took a second too long to answer, “ his name’s Mason,” they all stared at her, waiting for more information. “He’s who I caught Jude cheating on me with.” she murmured and lowered her eyes. 

Saks gasped and before she could blink the phone was in her hand. “I want a picture of this boy,” she announced only to find that there was nothing for her to see. With a disappointed huff she and Flora glared at the phone as Perry wheeled the chair across the room to join them. 

“Check his instagram,” he announced and then Saks’ fingers were flying over the screen. 

“Give me that,” Millie growled, taking the phone back to respond to the message. 

**I thought you were with Jude?**

Mason typed and deleted his reply at least three times before it finally came through. 

**We broke up about 2 months ago.**

**I thought she would have told you**

Her stomach knotted. She wasn’t happy about that, she wasn’t. But there was some sick satisfaction in knowing that the relationship had not worked out. She pushed down those feelings scolding herself. 

**We haven’t talked much recently.**

Her friends were watching her intently but she made no move to let them read the messages. She deserved some privacy after all. 

**That sucks**

This conversation had turned painfully awkward fast. She started looking for ways to end it. 

**For you too**

She thought that would be the last of it and they would both go back to not speaking to each other for the next three months, until she was back in Texas for Christmas. Sadly she was mistaken. 

**So is that a no from your friend?**

Just like that Millie closed the phone without answering and tossed it, determined to forget the entire conversation had ever happened. H er friends, however, didn’t agree with her. “Well…” Flora pushed, her eyes sparkling with the prospects of new gossip ,” What did he say?” 

“Nothing important,” she said bluntly, trying to put an end to this whole thing. They all moved in closer to her and she realized that the only way to end this was to give them what they wanted,” he just said that he and Jude aren’t together anymore and then he asked about you again.” 

An annoying smirk again graced Flora’s face, she was relishing this, she was relishing how Millie was reacting to this. Millie hated how she was reacting to this situation, she hated that she wasn’t mad at Mason because of his relationship with Jude, she was upset because he was interested in Flora. Except she had no right to be possessive over Flora, Flora was not her’s. They were ex-roommates and barely even friends, nothing more. 

If only she could convince her traitorous heart that. 


	2. Girlfriend(?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While taking a well deserved study break, Millie answers a Skype call from her best friend Lee, while a talking a secret slips free about her relationship with Flora that could change everything.

Gloriously it was the weekend. With midterms coming ever closer Millie was in desperate need of a break from studying. She always worked hard on her schooling, her future depended on it, but everything about her first semester here in Scotland was overwhelming and it had not been easy to keep her grades up. 

It was a rare moment when all her friends were together and quite, each enthralled in their own classwork, even Flora who never seemed to care about her grades. A part of her screamed to keep studying but her brain was getting groggy and slow and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes focused. So when her laptop started digging loudly next to her she made the easy decision to answer it.

She waited while the Skype call buffered and shrugged at Saks, indicating that she was taking a break. The screen clicked on and on the other side was Lee, her best friend. Warmth rushed over her as she grinned from ear to ear. She missed him like a limb most days and they couldn’t talk nearly as much as she wanted to. Next a pang of guilt, for all the secrets she was keeping from him. 

They had never had secrets before this and it was easy for her to justify them now because of how little they were talking. But that did not stop the guilt. She fought against the heat rising to her cheeks as she answered the call.

Lee’s face overtook the screen and all of her worries were replaced with the joy of getting to talk to her best friend again. “Millie!” he screamed, coming hilariously close to the camera so all she could see was the bridge of his nose and his left eyeball. Millie busted out laughing as she clicked the volume down a couple notches, in an attempt not to disturb her friends who were still trying to study. It didn’t seem to be working however because she could feel them watching her and listening to her conversation. Strangely she didn’t mind, instead she felt guilty about distracting them from their work.

Lee was talking a million miles an hour, asking Millie everything about Scotland while simultaneously filing her in on what was going on back home in Texas. She was having a hard time getting a word in and loving every second of it. She was completely content to just sit there and listen to her best friend talk for hours.  
She started feeling around for her headphones, but could not find them. She sat up to look around more. Noticing her change Flora asked,” What’s up Quint?” 

Lee goes quiet at the sound of a new voice, Millie wasn’t sure he knew there were other people in the room with her. “Just looking for my headphones,” she answered, still scanning the room to no avail.

“No,” Saks’ groaned,” no headphones. You’re friend’s screaming about whatever is happening at your old school is the only thing getting me through this right now,” she said motioning to whatever final she was studying for on her laptop. 

Millie laughed, “ exactly, I’m being distracting. If i can find my headphones you can go back to studying.” 

“Shouldn’t you be studying?” Perry asked and she glared at him. 

She scoffed,” I’m taking a much deserved break.” 

Around the room laptops clicked shut and books slammed,” Break time!” Flora announced, grinning. 

Millie sighed and leaned back onto her pillow, turning her attention back to Lee “who’s with you,” he asked. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the air of casualty surrounding him was completely fake.

She chose her words very carefully. Lee would freak out most of the nobility that went to this school, but he would definitely lose it over an actual princess. “Just my roommate and some of out friends,” she answered 

“Hello Millie’s roommate and friends,” he announced before backtracking and saying in a stage whisper,” are there any fancy titles I need to say?” 

Her friends snickered lightheartedly around the room as she answered, “ we don’t use titles at the school so I think you’re good.” 

While talking Millie pulled her hair up in a ponytail to get it out of her face but mostly to give her hands something to do. “Is that allowed? I thought that stuff was universal.” she pursed her lips trying to think of a clever way to respond. 

“That’s what I thought too, but then I got here and realized that this weird ass school is actually in a completely different universe where Lords, Ladies, and Princesses are just like normal people.” all of her friends reacted differently to her joke and she couldn’t take it all in at once. Perry doubled over in his chair with a dramatic silent laugh. Flora let out a loud unabashed laugh that sounded like a bell. Sakshi’s mouth fell open in disbelief before it morphed into a grin. And Lee started off laughing loudly before he fell silent as her words washed over him. 

“Amelia,” he started, effectively catching the attention of everyone in the room,” I need you to be completely honest with me… is there a princess sitting in your room with you right now,” his serious tone was almost enough to crack her. Deep down she wasn’t even sure why she was keeping Flora a secret from her friends and family, maybe she was just worried to make it official. Dating a princess was no joke and telling her friends would make it very real. 

Her eyes met Flora’s and her girlfriend(?) raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. If millie didn’t know any better she might have thought it was a challenge. After some deliberation she decided to say, slyly,” what’s it to you?” it was as good as a confession but at least she didn’t have to say the words.  
“It is everything to me,” over dramatic as always.

“That is why my answer is no,” the pterodactyl screech that came through the screen was exactly the response Millie had expected. Lee knew that her dismissal was actually the opposite. 

“OH MY GOD!” he exclaimed and Millie went straight into trying to calm him down. She was dimly aware of Saks moving around, gathering some things throughout the room and handing them off to the others. She couldn’t focus on that however because she had to give all of her attention to Lee. “ and you didn’t tell me! Can I meet her?”  
“You’re being crazy right now and they are semi normal human beings so I need you to calm down.” 

Flora’s voice cut in,” Oh no Quinte, we are doing this and we are doing it right.” Millie’s eyebrows shot up and she cocked her head.

She made a small sound of distress and confusion as she watched Saks hand out small index cards and they all started writing very intensely. “What’s going on?” Lee piped up, once again getting closer to the screen like it would somehow allow him to see what was going on behind the camera. 

“I’m wondering the exact same thing,” Mille murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. 

“We’re going to write down our titles and have you introduce us to your friends.” Saks said with her back turned while scribbling. She sucked in a deep breath and held it for a long second before releasing. Sometimes she forgot just how over dramatic her friends could be. Lee was eating this up, Millie on the other hand not so much. Perry also didn’t look thrilled, but he was still playing along. 

Flora was beaming at her and that almost made this whole thing worth it. 

Before she knew it she had three papers in her hand and was sitting behind her laptop that was now facing away from her and toward the center of the room, while her friends were huddled in the corner to stay out of frame. “Lee I’m going to mute you now,” she announced as she clicked the button. 

As she skimmed the cards to get ready she had to bite back a laugh at the ridiculously long titles and fun facts that they also decided to add. She cleared her throat and jutted out her chin, dawning her best sports announcer voice (objectively it was not very good). 

“Up first we have Lady Sakshi Worthington,” as she was speaking, Saks struts onto the screen, one hand on her hip the other striking various poses. Since she first saw Saks she thought she looked like a model, and now as she works the imaginary runway Millie knows that she could be. “ and she wants you to know that she is going to save the world,” With one last dazzling grin she makes her way off screen to join her sitting on the bed. 

Mille flips the cards and squints trying to read Perry’s handwriting. “Next, we have Lord Peregrine VII and he would like you to know that he is the youngest of six.” Perry was far more camera shy than Sakshi was. He was awkward and gangly as he waved to the camera and grinned. Beside her Saks whopped and cheered her best friend on. 

Flora winked at her as she got ready to read her card and heat flooded her cheeks. Thankfully, her voice remained steady as she started,” and finally we have…” she paused for dramatic effect and scoffed at the over the top title written before her, “ her royal highness Princess Flora Ghislaine Mary Baird.” Flora glowed on screen, as she swished her golden hair and smirked dangerously. “And she would like you to know that she is as big a bitch as she looks,” she barely managed to get the sentence out before she busted out laughing. 

“As her ex-roommate I can second that,” Millie added, grinning. Poking fun at Flora was safe and normal. Flora blew a kiss at the camera and walked off screen. 

“What about as her girlfriend?” Saks asked, nudging her shoulder. 

“As her girlfriend I plead the fifth,” she joked. Flora gasped in a proper and dainty way then jokingly threw a pillow at her from across the room. Laughing, she barely managed to dodge it. They were all sprawled around the room laughing, now. Millie’s small break from studying had taken a strange turn but she couldn’t say she was upset about it.  
After calming down she turned the camera around to unmute and talk to Lee, but what she saw on the screen was not as he expected. He was flailing around while also managing to blow up the chat function. 

“Uh oh,” she groaned, raking her hand through her hair. She’s met with confused looks so she continues,” Lee didn’t know that Flora existed much less that we were dating.” eyes widened around the room as she positioned herself back on her bed, preparing to unmute the call, “So whatever happens when I unmute him is your fault.” there’s no malice to her words. 

In fact, there was a weight lifted off her shoulders knowing that this secret is now out. She looked up and Flora was sitting in front of her on the bed, knees folded so that she was behind the camera. Her girlfriend reached forward and linked their hands together, offering silent support. They both knew how big a deal telling people about their relationship was, they had talked about it before. 

Taking a deep steadying breath she clicked the button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone!! Here’s a little gift from me :) and as always all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed


	3. Far From Angelic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The royal wedding is happening in Scotland while Millie is home in Texas for the holidays, this is the longest they’ve been apart since they’d started dating and Millie finds that she is missing her girlfriend more than she anticipated.

Millie’s alarm tore through her peaceful sleep at the ungodly hour of 2:30 am. Groans came from around the room as she flailed blindly to turn it off. Every ounce of will power she had was used to drag herself from bed and into the sticky Texas air. Even during December it was still hot. 

Without thinking she shoved Lee awake and loudly told Jude and Darcy -who were on the other side of the room still asleep- to get up and come downstairs. Things were strange with Jude still but they were getting better. Going away to Scotland had done her a world of good, well that, and the gorgeous princess she’d fallen for. She’d been emailing back and forth with Flora every day since she’d come back home and Flora had gone back to Edinburgh for the wedding. 

The wedding. That was the reason for her being up before the sun. This morning over a thousand miles away Prince Alexander was getting married and it was being broadcasted live all over the world and she and her friends were going to watch it. 

They crawled down the stairs and crammed onto the couch, Darcy was asleep again as soon as she sat down. Lee started flipping through the channels searching for the program they needed. In the kitchen, Millie could hear her aunt Vi moving around making them breakfast and hopefully coffee. After clicking down the brightness Millie checked her phone to see a yellow notification. 

A Snapchat from Nicola. They had exchanged social medias after their brief meeting but they had never reached out and on a day as hectic as this one she was confused as to why she would. 

The video was from hours ago, that would be early even for the people in Scotland. She clicked it and the video that played brought a grin to her face. 

Familiar golden hair and eyes appeared along with a dazzling grin. Her girlfriend’s makeup was done elegantly but her hair was still down and she seemed to be wearing some kind of silk robe. Behind her a cluster of makeup and hair people moved throughout the room. “Hello love!” She sang, giving a small wave. Ears perked up around the room and her friends leaned in closer to watch the video. “ I know you’re still asleep but I just wanted to say I miss you and I wish you were here.” 

Millie’s heart skipped a beat and she is filled with an overwhelming longing for her girlfriend. They’d only been dating for a few months but she missed her like a missing limb now that they were apart. Long distance was not going to be easy. 

A distant voice comes through now from somewhere beyond the phone,” Who are you talking to?” then Daisy’s face appears over Flora’s shoulder, with a champagne glass in hand. Next to her Lee leaned his head on her shoulder, letting his eyes start to drupe shut again.

“I’m sending a message to Quint,” Flora started, then backtracked,” Millie,” so that the others know who she is talking about. 

“Hi Millie,” Daisy smiled, “I’m jealous that you’re still asleep right now” Millie chuckled as a voice that she couldn’t make out and was definitely in a different language got Flora’s attention. 

“Got to go darling, time for hair,” she blew a kiss at the camera before it turned black. 

She halfheartedly raked her fingers through her hair as she started to send a reply. “I am awake,” she announced as a form of greeting. “And so are all of my friends, well most of my friends,” she glanced around and to say they were awake would be a definite white lie,” and we are ready to watch this wedding.” Somewhere along the way someone’s legs ended up in her lap, they were all piled on top of each other so she didn’t know who they belonged to.

“You look beautiful by the way,” Millie stifled a yawn and offered a sleepy smile. “And you need to remember to thank Nicola for letting you use her phone to talk to me,” it wasn’t a secret that Nicola didn’t not want to be in Scotland for the wedding and she was sure that Flora wasn’t making it any easier.

The sounds from the kitchen were getting louder and were followed by an amazing smell. Jude perked up beside her at the aroma and the tell tale beeps of the coffee pot. Despite this Millie kept talking,” I hope everything goes well today and tell everyone hi from me,” in the middle of her talking Vi’s voice sounds from the kitchen.

“Pancakes!” She calls and the formerly dead tired kids around her launched themselves from the couch effectively knocking Millie over and kicking the phone out of her hand. 

They were beating her to breakfast. If she didn’t get there soon all the coffee would be gone, but she had to finish off this video before going. Slightly breathlessly and disheveled, she pulled the camera back to her face and breathed,” pancakes gotta go,” then threw the phone and bee lined for the kitchen. 

After devouring their breakfast and downing their coffees they all made their way back to the living room and settled in front of the tv. Crowds of thousands lined the streets and cheered, waving flags and throwing flowers, as a line of cars drove through. Millie knew that somewhere coming up behind them was a carriage carrying the bride but all she could think about was that in one of those cars was Flora. 

Beside her, her phone dinged with another message from Nicola. 

The video started with Flora smiling at her while Seb took a swig from a small silver flask. “I want pancakes so bad right now,” she whined, but Millie almost didn’t hear a word she was saying. 

Millie’s breath hitched in her throat. With her hair up in a dramatic updo and a tiara gracing her head, her girlfriend glowed like an angel and it was enough to stop Millie in her tracks and make her mind go blank. 

Anyone who knew Flora knew she was far from angelic, but today she looked the part and no doubt she had been instructed to play it without fault. In the eyes of the media Flora was a rebellious party girl who lived for attention and drama, and they honestly were not wrong. That was what she had thought of the young princess when they first met, and she might have thrown in a few more explicit terms, but now after getting to know her there was a different side to Flora. It was hard to pinpoint the change. Her jabs became friendly instead of pointed and her smiles became genuine. She had chipped away at Millie’s defenses until she fell hopelessly head over heels for her. 

She knew that Flora had wanted Millie to be at the wedding with her and had even gotten permission from the queen for her to come, but Millie had to decline. 

She had been looking forward to going home for Christmas to see her friends and family since she left for school and it wasn’t fair to any of them if she decided to stay in Scotland over the holidays. Besides what would she do at a royal wedding besides stick out like a sore thumb. 

“Roomy Quinte!” Seb exclaimed, obviously already quite tipsy despite how early it was and how important a day it was. “Welcome to the party.” 

Millie grimaced and Flora shoved him away, but she seemed unconcerned. “I”m glad you’re up. We’re about to reach the church now so I will not be able to talk for a while, but I’m glad to be able to see you before we go.” Millie wasn’t sure how or why Flora still had Nicola’s phone but she really hoped that she remembered to thank the young girl, who had given up so much of her time to making sure everything went off without a hitch. 

“That is enough Flora,” came the stern voice of her mother from behind the camera and for a split second Flora’s face hardened with rebellion before she skillfully pacified, determined not to cause any issues.

It wasn’t for her parent’s benefit but for her brother’s. Flora adores her older brother and this was one of the biggest days of his life -second only to his inevitable coronation day- and the pressure of it all was overwhelming. She was going to do everything she could to make it easier for them. 

With a tense obviously fake smile, Flora said to her,” talk later my love and wish us luck.” 

The screen clicked to black and Millie turned her attention back to the tv. The cars had finally reached their destination and she caught half a glimpse of Flora and her finally exiting the vehicle before the video switched to the golden carriage adorned with flowers carrying Ellie and her father. Her face was covered in a large veil and Millie couldn’t get a clear look at her, but she could see the delicate lace that lined her arms. 

She’d only met Ellie briefly, but she knew that she was kind and deeply in love and Millie’s heart warmed for her. Across the room aunt Vi shot her a look as Flora came back on screen and Millie blushed before rolling her eyes. 

She knew that look and knew that when they were alone they would have to talk about it. Aunt Vi liked to pry and she had been suspiciously quiet on the topic of her dating a Scottish princess.

She had always had her future planned out, get a scholarship for college, then get into an amazing doctoral program for studying geology and a princess with an attitude problem didn’t fit into that plan. A future with Flora was a future that she had never imagined for herself but now as she imagined it, no matter how strange it might be it was what she wanted. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s using her holiday break to actually write and be productive!!!! I hope y’all enjoy and as always all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed.


	4. You are More Important, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flora and Mille are both attending college in America and Flora comes for a surprise weekend visit.

Millie sat in her college dorm, awkwardly not talking to her roommate. The girls didn’t have a bad relationship but they weren’t particularly close either. It had only been a few weeks though, so there was still hope for them to become friends. 

She shivered and pulled her blanket up closer around her as she continued to scroll through her phone, waiting for a text from her girlfriend. Flora wasn’t an early riser so she wasn’t expecting to hear from her for a while. Much to Millie’s surprise Flora had opted to go to college in the states instead of staying in Scotland with her family and she was planning on making the 3 and a half hour trip down to Texas for the weekend. 

Millie was planning to pick her up from the train station the next morning and she couldn’t wait. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks and it was getting harder and harder to be long distance. 

She had yet to tell her roommate that her girlfriend was coming to visit. Unsure of how to bring up the topic she started,” so, uh, I just wanted to let you know that my girlfriend is coming tomorrow and is going to stay here for a couple of days.” 

There was a beat of silence before she answered,” Girlfriend? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” She grinned and Millie knew that she would spend the next half hour answering a million questions.

She sighs with relief when a knock at the breaks through the conversation. She glances at her roommate and asks if she is expecting anyone but the girl just shakes her head and shrugs, going back to her laptop and letting Millie handle whoever is at the door.

She shrugs out of her blanket and heads for the door, stepping around the ever growing piles of stuff on the floor. She opened a crack to look out without letting whoever is out there see in and what she sees stops her in her tracks. The handle slips from her hand and she shoves the door open with her shoulder as she throws her arms around her girlfriend. 

Flora laughed softly as she lifted her slightly off her feet. “Hello love,” she murmured and instantly Millie sunk into her embrace, letting the sweet smell of her perfume overwhelm her. 

“You're early!” She cried, pulling back so that her hands locked behind her neck and tangled in her hair. “I wasn’t expecting you til tomorrow.” 

Flora smirked, “ I decided to come down early and surprise you,”

She quickly pulled her inside and they both sat on the bed. Flora politely introduced herself to her roommate who then promptly put her headphones in to give the two of them some privacy. However not nearly enough privacy as far as Millie was concerned. 

“I’ve still got classes today,” Millie groaned, glancing at the clock and mentally counting the hours until her first class. “From 12-3.” 

Flora grinned and pulled her in closer,” well then we get brunch and I will entertain myself until you are out of class.” 

“I thought you had classes today?” She asked, suddenly remembering the schedule Flora had sent her a few weeks earlier. 

“Nothing that couldn’t be rearranged,” she purred, “ and you are more important love.” That didn’t sit well with Millie. As much as she was over the moon that her girlfriend was attending college near her she didn’t want to be a distraction.

Millie pulled away, scrunching her eyebrows,” Flora you shouldn’t…” 

“You worry too much Quinte.” 

“I worry the right amount,” she countered. 

“Can we get food now please?” Flora asked,” because I haven’t eaten anything today.” 

“Give me ten minutes to change,” she pushed off the bed and grabbed some clothes as she headed toward the bathroom. She shared the Jack and Jill bathroom with her roommate and two other girls in the adjoining room, and thanks to the thin walls she could hear everyone talking. 

As she was brushing her hair she heard their dorm room door click open and slam closed. She groaned when she heard the voice of her roommate’s older brother on the other time of the door. He was a few years older than them and attended the same college, he stopped by a couple times a week and from what Millie had seen he was a grade A asshole. She could basically smell his cheap cologne from here.

She sped through the rest of her routine determined to get out of here quickly. By the time she was done she heard Flora’s voice, her accent was thicker than usual, a tell tale sign that she was agitated. “Tragically, I am not interested.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

She pushed the door open and leaned against the frame to observe the scene in front of her. Flora was lounging on her bed, obviously uninterested while her roommate’s brother stood a few feet away leering in a very unflattering fashion. 

Her stomach twisted with jealousy and anger. There was no doubt in her mind that her girlfriend was completely faithful but that didn’t mean that she enjoyed watching her get hit on.

“Come on baby I promise we’ll have a good time,” he took a step closer to the bed. Flora shifted dangerously and Millie could see the fight before it even started. She needed to stop it. 

“ I’d take a step back and leave the lady alone if I were you,” she said stepping around him like he was a piece of furniture. “She throws a mean punch.” Her girlfriend grinned at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

She moved to the edge of the bed and met Mille with a warm kiss. Flora gripped her hips and pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss. Grinning, she tangled her fingers in her golden hair. 

She pulled back, knowing that her point had been made. She was not willing to give that creep a free show. For now she pushed the both of them out of her mind and focused on Flora, “ come on,” she said tugging her hands,” let's go eat.” 

“No thank you,” the princess said with hooded eyes,” I would much prefer to stay in now.” 

Millie chuckled and pulled her to her feet and toward the door,” you need to eat Flo,” she said. 

She froze with her hand on the handle as Flora whispered in her ear,” I can eat here,” goosebumps arose from her warm breath on her neck. For a split second she seriously considered kicking her roommate out, skipping her classes and spending the day locked up with her girlfriend. 

Her eyes fluttered closed as she forced herself to make the responsible decision instead of the fun one. “Later,” she breathed and pulled Flora out of the door to go find breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter but I think the fluff makes up for it :)) I hope y’all enjoy and as always all feedback in appreciated and enjoyed.


	5. Backwards and Upside Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having recently moved in together Millie starts planning for their future. Things quickly start to go south when Flora shares her own worries and she has to try to reassure her.

Names and pictures swirled through Millie’s head as she scrolled through school after school on the internet. She’d spent the last two days looking through doctoral programs in Scotland for her to attend when she graduates. 

Behind her Flora was laying on their bed while she was scrolling, she hadn’t told her yet that she planned to move back to Scotland when she finished school. A part of her was worried that Flora wouldn’t want her too, which was ridiculous, they had been living together in a loft for the past six months and she wasn’t anywhere near being down with school so there was still plenty of time. They were happy and she didn’t want to do anything to change that. 

Truth be told she couldn’t imagine not following Flora back to Scotland. 

A small sound pulled her out of her head. For a moment she thought it was the keys on a computer but she wasn’t typing and Flora’s laptop was sitting on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t a keyboard, it was Flora biting her fingernails behind her. She rarely did that, she was too concerned about her appearance. 

“What’s wrong,” she asked without turning around. 

The biting stopped, “ what makes you think something’s wrong?” Flora asked.

S he spun the chair so they were facing each other,” you’re biting your nails.” She commented,” you only do that when you’re anxious.” 

Flora glanced at her hands then slid them out of sight. Something was wrong. Millie joined her on the bed, legs crossed staring right at her. “What’s wrong?” She asked again. 

Then her girlfriend, the most confident woman she knew, who could draw the eye of every person and revel in the attention, shrunk into herself. Concern coursed through her. She shifted closer and grabbed her hand. 

Flora took a deep breath and averted her eyes before answering, “ I -um- I just wanted you to know that I see a future with you.” That was not where Millie had expected this conversation to go. Why would she be so worried to tell her that? “Marriage, a family, everything.” 

“I see a future with you too Flo, I can’t wait to marry you,” she froze, realizing how that sounded, “ in the future of course after we’ve finished school, “ she rambled,” but I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” She pressed for more.

“No, no you don’t get it,” she sighed, squeezing her hand hard,” you’re it for me Millie.” Her eyes were wide and sincere. Hardly ever did Flora call her Millie, it was Quinte or some other term of endearment like love or darling, never Millie or Amelia unless she was introducing her to someone.

“Where’s this coming from? You’re acting like I’m going somewhere?” She hated seeing Flora this upset. 

Flora was bordering on shaking,” a life with me,” she started, voice shaking,” I’m afraid it won’t make you happy.” 

“You make me happier than anything Flo,” 

Flora’s eyes fell closed,” you don’t understand.”

“Then explain it,” it came out harsher than she intended but this whole conversation was backwards and upside down and she couldn’t figure it out. 

“Ever since I’ve met you you’ve had your future planned out. College, doctorate, geology. The works. But with me it won’t be that simple. I have stupid expectations from my family and duties to my country, I can’t give you the life you want.” She was crying now. Even crying, she looked beautiful. 

“A life with you is the one that I want.” She leaned in and kissed her. It was soft and gentle. She thought it was so simple, they were in love and they wanted a life together. 

“I’ve seen it happen Quinte, people like me get married and within a year they resent each other and are miserable. That’s what happens to people with my lifestyle and I can’t bear the thought of that happening to us.” Millie’s heart was beating out of her chest. This was beginning to sound an awful lot like a break up. “Geology is your first love and I can’t be the one to take that away from you.” 

Millie placed her hand on Flora’s cheek and her girlfriend leaned into it. She was fighting back tears herself,” yes I’ve loved geology as long as I can remember, but you are my love. Okay?” She lifted her chin forcing Flora to meet her eyes. “ You are the only one for me and I do not scare that easily.” 

Light shined in through the windows and glinted off Flora’s golden hair. “ I don’t want you to have to change your life for me.” 

“Do you know what I’ve been doing for the past few days?” She waited for an answer but all she got was a sniffle and a nod. “I’ve been researching schools in Scotland with doctoral programs.” 

Flora’s head shot up. “What?” She breathed.

“I didn’t want to tell you till I figured it all out and-and if I’m being honest I was worried you wouldn’t want me to come-“

“What!” Flora interjected louder this time,” how could you ever think that?” 

“How could you ever think that your royal status would make me not want to marry you?” She screamed, waving her hands. 

They both paused to compose themselves, getting worked up and angry wouldn’t help anything. How had they even ended up here? An hour ago everything was fine, now they were on the rocks and Millie had no idea how to fix it. 

“What can I do to reassure you Flora?” She asked desperately. 

“you don’t need to reassure me, love,” she said with a watery smile,” I know how much you love me, I could never doubt that. I just worry that I won’t be enough to make you happy.” Her heart was breaking, she could feel it like a bullet in her chest. How long had she been holding this all inside, letting the worry eat away at her? 

Her throat closed as she tried to choke out the words,” you are everything, you know that,” her girlfriend laughed weakly and shook her head in disbelief,” I’m serious. I don’t want to think about where I’d be without you.” 

Flora flopped back onto her pillow and rolled over hiding her face,” you’d be fine without me Quinte.” Millie sucked in a sharp breath through her nose. She didn’t like that one bit. 

Unsure of what to say she stopped and just watched Flora. The two of them were laying on top of the covers, so she slowly started to pull them back, it turned out to be more like prying because Flora was not helping her at all. After that struggle she slid underneath and tucked Flora in next to her. 

She snuggled in wrapping her arms around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I don’t understand why you’re as worried as you are, maybe I can’t because I don’t know what it’s like, not like you do, but what I do know is that the fact that you are so worried says more about who you are than anything else.” 

Flora turned and met her gaze, “I’m not saying it’ll be perfect,” she said as she pulled her in closer,” I’m not even saying it’ll be easy, but I will be there. I honestly don’t think there’s anything you could say that would scare me away at this point.” 

Flora laughed, it wasn’t loud but it brought a smile to Millie’s lips. After all of this it was nice to hear her laugh. She dug her face into Millie’s neck and sniffled. “I love you Millie,” 

“I love you too,” she replied. “ and I intend to spend every day showing you just how much.” God she hoped that would be enough. 

It had to be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all of the angst but not really :) I hope y’all enjoy and as always all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed.


	6. Oh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A romantic candle light dinner on the isle of Skye turns out to be so much more than Millie expected.

Millie and Flora walked hand in hand along the Isles of Skye, the wind in their faces. They climbed higher and higher, Millie was enjoying the slight chill in the air; it was a welcomed change from the dry Texas heat.

Flora had practically dragged her out of the country for a celebratory trip after her graduation, and right now she couldn’t be more grateful.Millie had been working herself to the bone to finish school and making plans for graduate school so this trip to Scotland was a well deserved break. 

The first stop on the trip was to Edinburgh where they spent three days exploring the city and sipping mimosas before Flora insisted on another trip to Skye. She could be very sentimental sometimes. 

“God I forgot how beautiful it was here,” she sighed squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. She grinned watching the wind whip through her girlfriends normally smooth hair, making it wild and frizzy. They stopped to admire the horizon, the changing colors of the sky blurring from orange to pink to purple. Even surrounded by this picture perfect view Millie couldn’t take her eyes off Flora. 

Bringing a hand up, she gently pushed a strand of hair behind her girlfriend’s ear, “I’m sure my hair is a mess,” Flora commented, while Millie’s hand lingered on her warm cheek. 

“I told you to bring a hair tie,” she responded, knowing that was the response Flora did not want. Her eyebrows shot up and she started to snap back but Millie cut her off,“ I’m kidding,” she was barely holding back a laugh,” You look beautiful.”

“I know.” She said bluntly. There was the Flora that she knew and loved. The frustrating part was that she was completely right, even after hiking miles high up a mountain Flora looked perfect in an imperfect way. 

Millie looped her arm through Flora’s pulling her close and resting her head on her shoulder. “I love you,” she said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with emotions and feelings. 

“I love you too Quint, obviously,” she said grinning. “Why do you think I dragged you all the way up here,” 

“Rocks, I’m pretty sure you dragged me all the way up here because of the magic rocks,” the rocks were just as extraordinary as they were years ago when they first visited and she was definitely excited to see them again. 

The sun was slipping ever lower, disappearing below the horizon. “How could I forget about the magic rocks,” she grinned, nudging Millie’s head with her shoulder. “But you are wrong. I actually dragged you up here because I am hungry.” 

“We didn’t pack any snack,” Millie pointed out,” and it will take hours to make it back to the house for dinner.” 

“Oh ye of little faith,” Flora said, exaggerating her accent just enough to get Millie to laugh. Before she even realized what was happening she was being dragged away from the cliff, curving behind a large rock formation. 

What she sees stops her in her tracks. She digs her heels in, taking in the sight in front of her. Hidden behind the rocks was a large spread of food, displayed on a white blanket, candles were scattered around sitting in the grass and displayed on multi levels of rocks all around them. “What’s this?” She breathed, unable to take in everything around her. 

“It’s a picnic Amelia,” she answered, pulling her forward again.

“But why?” 

“Because you’ve worked so hard to graduate and I wanted to do something special for you,” Flora pulled her down onto the soft blanket and handed her a glass of champagne. 

Millie took a sip enjoying the bubbles,” you didn’t have to do all this Flo,” 

“You deserve a million beautiful nights like this love,” the trip though only a few days long so far had been full of surprises like this. Flora had been going out of her way to make this trip special and perfect, what Millie couldn’t figure out was why. She knew that Flora liked the finer things in life, she was a princess for god's sake, but these surprises were catered specifically for her.It was all trips to museums and moonlight dinners surrounded by the most beautiful rocks in the world. 

“You’re thinking too loudly over there Quint,” 

“Sorry,” she answered,” I’m just trying to take this all in.” 

Flora was up to something, she was almost sure of it. She’d known her for almost six years now and she knew her well enough to know when she was plotting something. And right now Flora was all too happy with herself. 

“Come on let’s eat,” they dug into the food. It was cooked to perfection and melted in her mouth. They chatted and enjoyed each other’s company as the night grew darker. A million stars shone in the sky, creating the perfect backdrop for an already perfect night. Millie relaxed, pushing all thoughts of Flora’s plan out of her mind and choosing to let herself focus on spending this time with her amazing girlfriend. 

They lapsed into comfortable silence, tangled together under a blanket to avoid the chill. Flora’s golden eyes glowed in the candle light, as fireflies began to flash around them. 

“Are you ready to talk about why we’re really here yet?” Millie asked, causing Flora to jolt.

“What are you talking about?” She questioned. 

Millie turned to fully face her,” I know you, really really well, and I know when you’re up to something, so figured I would ruin your plans and just ask.” 

Flora sagged next to her, sighing,” you can’t just make this easy can you?” 

“Of course not.” 

Millie grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry and took a bite while waiting for her to respond,” I should have known better.” 

“You really should have,” Millie said with a mouth full. “So…” she pressed. 

Flora got a strange far off look in her eyes,” I’ve been planning this dinner for a long time you know,” she started,” but it wasn’t always going to be a dinner.” She trailed off for a minute and Millie could see her mind turning. She stayed quite letting her girlfriend think,” at first I was thinking of throwing a parade,” she mused when she finally started to talk again. 

“A parade for me graduating college?” She gasped. She did not like that idea at all, too many eyes on her for her liking. 

“Yeah Saks shut that down real quick,” she replied. She’d talked to Sakshi about this? This might be more serious than she originally thought. Flora didn’t ask for help lightly, at least not from anyone who wasn’t there to serve her. “So I started thinking about what you would want. Nothing loud or out there, just us surrounded by rocks with good food and champagne.” 

“This is your idea of something small and simple?” Millie asked motioning around them. Yes it was intimate, there was no one else around for miles, but it was still extravagant. 

“Please let me talk Quint,” Flora pleaded, and Millie melted. Ok she’d give in just a little and go easier on the blond haired princess. She pressed her lips together and yielded the floor to Flora. “I’m not sure if you’ve seen through this whole thing already and you’re just messing with me or not,”

“I am officially shutting up and letting you talk,” she said, holding her hands up in defeat.

Flora wrung her hands together, a nervous tick that Millie knew well, it only came out when she was comfortable enough to drop her princess mask. These days it was stranger to see Flora with the mask on than without it. “You make me a better person Millie,” she said bluntly. 

Millie blinked, but grinned. She wanted to tell Flora that she didn’t need her for that, that she already was a good person but she was true to her promise to let Flora talk. 

“You always have, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” she breathed, gently tugging a strand of her hair from where it strayed from the ponytail. “But you knew all that already,” she continued. 

She got quiet again, and she stared at Millie. She just watched her with large shining eyes, “ god I really can’t get a read on you right now,” she seemed exasperated and borderline upset, but Millie couldn’t place why. They were having a beautiful evening. 

Flora looked at her expectantly before she decided it was time for her to respond,” I thought I wasn’t supposed to be talking,” she joked. 

Her girlfriend groaned and shoved her playfully in the arm,” you are being so… so ugh,” 

Millie gripped her hand,” come on let’s head back it’s getting late and you seem like you could use a nice hot bath,” she suggested trying to ease her nerves. 

“Wait what, no,” she gasped, pulling Millie back down onto the blanket. 

“What’s going on Flo, you’re acting weird.” 

Next thing she knew Flora’s hands were on her cheeks and her lips pressed suddenly to her’s. She was taken aback but definitely not complaining. She leaned into the kiss, slipping her around Flora’s waist and gripping her shirt. 

Breathing hard, Flora pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. Millie’s eyes slipped closed, letting herself get lost in her wonderful girlfriend.

“Marry me,” Flora breathed. 

Marry her. 

_ Oh _

“Oh,” 

Flora laughed,” after all that, that’s all you have to say,” She didn’t realize she was crying, not until Flora’s thumb swiped across her cheek wiping away a tear. “I need you to stop crying and say something please.” 

How could she have missed this? The fancy romantic dinner, the nervous energy, they were all tell tale signs of a proposal and she completely looked over them. 

Her throat closed up and it was suddenly very difficult to speak, all the words got stuck in her throat, “ yes,” she finally managed to force and a smile broke out across Flora’s face. 

“Yes?” Flora repeated pulling her even closer.” Because I know you wanted to wait until you were done with school and you technically aren’t done yet but…” 

“Of course yes,” Millie interrupted. “And I absolutely will not stop crying.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not going to lie, I’ve had this chapter written for weeks and completely forgot that I didn’t post it. So that’s my bad feel free to yell at me about it in the comments. I had a great time writing this and I hope y’all like it! And as always all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed :))

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place between the trip to Skye and the surprise Thanksgiving. It's my first fic with these characters so I hope ya'll enjoy! and as always any and all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed.


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